We are all familiar with the wild beauty of the vineyards that climb the steep slopes hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiane, not surprisingly recently recognized by theUnesco as a heritage of humanity. Likewise, we have all tasted at least once in our life the main product of those lands: the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG and its "Cru" par excellence, the Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze. Product of excellence from the province of Treviso, this sparkling wine Charmat / Martinotti method it is produced by refermentation in autoclave of the grapes of the vine Glera, giving products known for their ease and pleasantness to drink, aromas and great versatility in the kitchen. However, not everyone knows the ancestor of this Italian excellence, namely the Colfondo Prosecco.
In fact, the peasants of the 800th century created a product for family use, simple and genuine made from a still wine which was left with a certain sugar residue so as to allow, once bottled, a natural refermentation on its own yeasts during the spring following the harvest. In this way it was obtained a sparkling wine, ready to drink, fresh and very pleasant. Not being foul, there was a natural residue of exhausted yeasts that went to settle on the bottom of the bottle, hence the name "With the bottom".
This sparkling wine it was for so long very cloudy e rich in substance, suitable for daily consumption. It rarely came out of the narrow confines of the families or the farmsteads where it was bottled. During the twentieth century, the arrival of modern production techniques, such as the use of autoclaves, and the increasing demand for Prosecco on the market, has substantially led to the progressive disappearance of this type which only in recent years has been recovered by a group of young people producers capable of enhancing this unique wine e deeply territorial, a real legacy of the ancient peasant tradition of the Treviso area.
I would like to point out in particular two companies that have particularly impressed me for the quality and typicality of their products:
Belfi House is a small company of 9 hectares in an organic and biodynamic regime, located in the territory of San Polo di Piave (TV) founded Maurice Donadi in 1999. It mainly produces wines from the two main local grape varieties: the red Raboso and the Glera. With the latter it produces an excellent Colfondo characterized by a beautiful deep straw yellow color, slightly veiled by yeasts, and by a nose rich in citrus and spicy notes combined with the inevitable hints of bread-making that the refermentation in the bottle brings with it. In the mouth it is crunchy, savory, with a satisfying and greedy drink, one sip leads to another!
Ca 'dei Zago is a company with an ancient winemaking tradition. Since the 20s the family di Christian e Marika Zanatta produces in its 7 hectares, scattered throughout the territory of Valdobbiadene, wines refermented in the bottle of great concreteness and indisputable territoriality. Theirs Colfondo it is a genuine wine, moving in its joyful simplicity, in the glass it has a beautiful intense yellow with the inevitable glaze that characterizes the bubbles refermented in the bottle. The nose recalls herbs and wildflowers, with notes of white fruit, apple and pear above all. In the mouth it is agile, snappy and invites you to drink and pair with local cured meats and cheeses.
